The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 25

Wu Bie watched as Chen Xian firmly held Shen Jixue’s hand, like leading a child, while Shen Jixue held onto Chen Xian’s hand with the other, an unusually close and sticky gesture that gave Wu Bie goosebumps.

Too clingy.

Chen Xian’s patience was remarkable. The return trip was slightly more challenging, needing to cross the street to catch the bus. Thankfully, there was an overpass, so Shen Jixue didn’t have to cross the street directly.

“Look, if you walk here, you can get on the overpass.” Chen Xian guided Shen Jixue’s hand to touch the rail of the overpass, “Crossing the overpass is safer, and the bus stop is right after it.”

Shen Jixue listened intently, focusing on Chen Xian’s description and trying to sense the changes around him. His increasingly relaxed expression showed he was gradually remembering the route.

While waiting for the bus, Chen Xian reassured him, “Xiao Shen, don’t worry. While I’m home, I’ll always accompany you so you can get familiar with the route.”

Chen Xian’s words gave him great courage, making him noticeably more relaxed, leaning closer to Chen Xian, “Okay.”

Wu Bie, watching this, felt like an unnecessary third wheel. Despite how ridiculous it seemed, Chen Xian and Shen Jixue were so close, even though he and Chen Xian were childhood friends.

The bus arrived, and Chen Xian and Shen Jixue got on. After paying, Chen Xian looked back at Wu Bie, who was still outside, “What are you waiting for? Get on!”

At least Chen Xian acknowledged his presence. Before Wu Bie could feel happy, Chen Xian turned and sat with Shen Jixue in a double seat.

Wu Bie’s mouth twitched. Damn it! What am I, an afterthought? A brief moment of concern, then immediately forgotten.

On the way back, Shen Jixue remained extremely excited, not even closing the window curtain, letting the scorching sun burn his cheeks until they were flushed, with sweat beads forming on his forehead.

“Is it hot? Let’s close the curtains,” Chen Xian worried about him getting heatstroke.

However, Shen Jixue shook his head. It had been a long time since he had walked so far and met so many people like he did today. Tomorrow he would be able to go to work, and that long-lost feeling named freedom, the freedom of his soul. His body might be incomplete, but his spirit had stood up again.

When he heard the broadcast on the bus, Shen Jixue was the first to stand up. When the bus stopped, he heard the door open and got off using his cane without Chen Xian’s help.

The three of them parted ways at the third-floor corridor. Wu Bie yawned, “I’m heading back. This morning has exhausted me. I’m going to take a nap.”

Chen Xian wanted to invite Wu Bie to dinner at his place tonight, but seeing Shen Jixue also yawning, he swallowed his words, waved goodbye to Wu Bie silently.

When they opened the door, the temperature inside was about the same as outside, stuffy. Chen Xian opened the door wide to let in some air and saw that Shen Jixue seemed a bit tired.

“Go take a shower and rest for a while. We’ve been out for most of the day, and everyone is tired.”

Shen Jixue obediently went to the bathroom to shower. After the shower, he felt much more refreshed, and most of his sleepiness was gone.

Chen Xian insisted that he rest and pushed him into the bedroom, “Take a nap.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll go fix the other fan. We can’t rely on just one fan in the house.”

Once the fan was fixed, Chen Xian had to go back next door to sleep. Shen Jixue really wanted to lie next to Chen Xian, to talk, and to have Chen Xian by his side when he woke up at night. It would make him feel more at ease.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Xian noticed his unhappy expression.

Shen Jixue shook his head, “Nothing.”

He couldn’t tell Chen Xian that he wanted to share a bed and a fan with him. He didn’t mind the heat, but Chen Xian probably did.

As soon as Shen Jixue lay on the bed, Chen Xian took the broken fan and left.

From the moment Chen Xian left the room, Shen Jixue held his breath to listen to his movements: the sound of the fan being picked up, the iron door opening, then closing. Chen Xian walked down the corridor, then downstairs, his footsteps getting fainter until Shen Jixue could no longer hear them.

The air was filled with rolling heat waves. The fan’s breeze wasn’t oppressive but rather gave a lazy feeling. The leaves outside the window swayed gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound, a lullaby for a peaceful afternoon.

Drowsiness took over, and Shen Jixue couldn’t keep his eyes open. Lying on the bed, just before he fell into a deep sleep, he wondered when Chen Xian would return. It would be best if the fan couldn’t be fixed, but then Chen Xian would have to spend money on a new one. If it couldn’t be fixed, it would take a long time, and the longer it took, the better…

Shen Jixue’s dreams were filled with various sounds—door opening, footsteps, and the sound of cooking in the kitchen, like using a pressure cooker, hissing and puffing, very lively.

When all the sounds stopped, Shen Jixue’s dream also calmed down. He felt like he was in a warm wheat field and smelled the fragrance of cooked rice. Was the wheat ripe?

Shen Jixue slowly opened his eyes, blinking for a few seconds to determine from the sounds outside that it was not yet dark. He had slept for a while but didn’t know if Chen Xian had returned.

“Chen Xian?”

His call didn’t get a response. He slowly got up, put on his slippers, and walked out of the bedroom, “Chen Xian?”

He called Chen Xian’s name again and this time heard a faint breathing sound and the sound of someone turning over.

Was Chen Xian back?

Shen Jixue followed the sound and walked to the sofa. He reached out and touched the person napping on the sofa. The moment he felt the body heat with his fingertips, he instinctively withdrew his hand. Then he carefully reached out again, touched the hand, and confirmed it was Chen Xian by the shape of his palm. Only then did he relax.

Perhaps his grip was too tight, and Chen Xian suddenly woke up. Seeing Shen Jixue in front of him, he rubbed his face.

“You’re awake?”

Shen Jixue nodded. Chen Xian pulled him to sit on the sofa. Shen Jixue didn’t hear the fan and asked, “Where’s the fan?”

“It’s being repaired by the electrician. It had a short circuit,” Chen Xian said as he jumped off the sofa, went to the bathroom to splash his face, and brought another fan from the bedroom, “Looks like we’ll have to squeeze together tonight.”

The moment the fan turned on, the breeze felt like a gentle hand caressing Shen Jixue’s cheek. He felt happy and muttered, “It’s not too crowded.”

“What?” Chen Xian didn’t catch it.

“Nothing.”

Chen Xian didn’t mind and went into the kitchen, bringing out the porridge he had cooked before sleeping. “I bought some cold dishes and crispy potatoes when I went out. The porridge has cooled down, perfect for this weather.”

So the sounds in his dream weren’t illusions; it was Chen Xian busy in the kitchen.

In this weather, cool porridge and crispy potatoes were just right. They enjoyed the meal without sweating, feeling very comfortable.

After dinner, Chen Xian accompanied Shen Jixue to watch TV for a while. When it was about time, he urged Shen Jixue to sleep.

“Go to bed early tonight so you’ll have energy tomorrow.”

Shen Jixue listened. Tomorrow was his first day at work, and he wanted to make a good impression on his boss. But lying in bed, he couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning.

“Did you sleep too much during the day and can’t sleep now?”

Chen Xian, who usually fell asleep quickly, also couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was the long nap or his concern for Shen Jixue; he couldn’t say.

“Yeah.”

“How about this? Let’s review the route to the massage parlor for tomorrow,” Chen Xian suggested, getting up. Hearing Chen Xian’s movements, Shen Jixue also sat up. Chen Xian reached out his hand, “Come to the bedside.”

From the bedside, they could see the view outside the window, though not very far due to the low floor.

“Where should we start? Let’s start from the moment you leave home alone.”

Shen Jixue faced the window, occasionally feeling the night breeze blowing in. He blinked and began, “After closing the door, I turn right, walk down the corridor, go down the stairs, three floors, then reach the courtyard and exit through the main gate.”

“After getting on the bus, there are five stops in total. The place where I get off has a utility pole, and if I walk to the right facing the bus stop, I can find the massage parlor.”

Chen Xian crossed his arms, a bit surprised, “You have such a good memory?”

When you can’t see, your concentration tends to be stronger than that of a sighted person, and Shen Jixue’s memory was already very good.

“Yeah, so don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Unexpectedly, Shen Jixue turned around to comfort him. Chen Xian thought, this kid is stronger than I imagined.

He didn’t want Shen Jixue to feel pressured, didn’t want to continue with heavy topics, “There are many stars tonight. The weather will definitely be good tomorrow.”

It must be a good omen.

Shen Jixue faced the window and murmured, “I haven’t seen stars in a long time.”

What could be seen just by looking up had become a luxury for Shen Jixue.

“Do you think, after a long time, I might gradually forget what I’ve seen?”

Chen Xian’s heart sank. Such a young life like Shen Jixue’s shouldn’t have to face a dark future.

“How could that be? You’ll get better. Your eyes will definitely be cured. Even if you can’t see now…” Chen Xian paused, “I can describe what things look like to you.”

By repeatedly describing things to Shen Jixue, his impressions would surely become clearer.

“It kind of looks like… a dog…” Chen Xian’s imagination wasn’t very good, struggling to find the right words, “There are nine stars making up its body and five for its head.”

Shen Jixue was confused, feeling lost, “Where?”

A pair of gentle, rough hands cupped Shen Jixue’s head lightly, guiding him to face the window. Chen Xian’s low voice sounded in his ear.

“This way.”